


Obsession

by Red_Queen



Category: One Piece
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Some Humor, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, everything will be consensual, mention of rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23244379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Queen/pseuds/Red_Queen
Summary: - For an absurd twist of fate Law ends up prisoner on Eustass Kid's ship. Between deceptions, misunderstandings and poorly laid plans, will the two rivals survive each other's company?- No particular time setting- This is the translation of a story I wrote in 2018, please forgive my mistakes, english is not my first language
Relationships: Eustass Kid/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 30
Kudos: 120





	1. 1

"Kid!"

"Captain!"

Kid's attention was immediately grabbed by the voices of his men calling his name loud enough to wake up even the fish on the ocean's floor. Wire and Killer, two pirates with ice in their veins, sounded now so unusually agitated that Kid had to wonder. He wasn't really worried, though, because the two also sounded enthusiastic, which was a circumstance bizarre enough to further tickle Kid's curiosity. He left his desk and the projects he was working on to go up on deck, eager to find out what was all the ruckus about.

Killer and Wire were smiling in a odd way, or at least Wire was doing so, but Kid could easily imagine the same expression behind the mask on his best friend's head. The two pirates were already surrounded by a small group of their nakama, who had gathered around them out of curiosity and were now occluding the Captain's view.

"Move" Kid said stepping forward. Everyone obeyed at once, and only then did Eustass notice that between Killer and Wire was a third person, or more precisely, the body of a third person, who had evidently been dragged there unconscious. If the two had bothered, that guy had to be still alive and probably wasn't just an ordinary man. Wire and Killer held him by the pit of his arms and the unknown man's head dangled between his shoulders so that his face was impossible to see, but Kid felt a weird sensation at the pit of his stomach. He knew that man, he was sure of it. The colours of his clothes were familiar, in a way, but even more than that, the tattoos on his arms and hands were unmistakable. A fierce excitement was rapidly taking hold of Eustass, and for a moment the pirate thought it couldn't be true. It was all too good to be true.

He came a little closer, then, almost cautiously, almost as if he was afraid to find out that he had been wrong, after all, that that person wasn't who he thought he was. Wire nodded as if to encourage him to come even closer and Kid finally crouched in front of the stranger and grabbed a handful of his dark hair to lift his head, so that he could finally look at his face. Soon after a wave of pure euphoria possessed the Captain, and Kid ended with his ass on the floor and tears in his eyes in a raucous fit of laughter.

His men, who had waited in perfect silence, breathed a sigh of relief while the red-head slowly calmed down, then got up again and gave a quick look at the harbour and the town behind it.

There were no explosions, or smoke, not even a small fire. There were no shouts and no one was running around panicking, everything was boringly normal, which didn't make much sense.

"How the hell did you catch him?" Kid asked his friends, torn between feeling unbridled pride in their abilities and something vaguely similar to envy, because they'd apparently succeeded where he had always failed. They'd brought him none other than Trafalgar Law, unconscious, almost lifeless, as if after a terrible fight. Eustass had full confidence in the skills of his crew, but Trafalgar was a pirate who didn't go down easily. Kid knew it well enough, unfortunately. He'd clashed with the other captain more than once and he had to admit their skills were almost equal; more than that, in Kid's opinion Trafalgar was also a lucky son of a bitch. Killer and Wire didn't even have a scratch, though, and Trafalgar looked more like a severely drunk man than a seriously injured one. There was no blood on his clothes and no wounds to be seen. Kid couldn't believe that the raven-haired pirate had gone down without a fight, and not even that the Heart Pirates had let their Captain being caught without burning the city to ashes.

"We were lucky," Wire admitted honestly with a shrug, however the explanation wasn't enough for Kid. He crossed his arms, lifted his chin and said "explain yourself better."

"Well, we just found him like that and thought you'd like a present."

Kid had to sneer at that. His men really knew how to spoil him, sometimes. "What do you mean you found him like that? What about his crew?"

The two pirates shrugged, they actually had no idea about Trafalgar's crew. They had simply found him unconscious, on a small, somewhat hidden beach, like a castaway. None of his men around, dead or alive, and his submarine nowhere to be seen.

Kid explored a few possibilities. There must have been one hell of a battle if Law had ended up like that, but obviously it hadn't happened nearby or he'd have noticed something. Anyway Trafalgar's nakama were certainly going crazy trying to find their captain and maybe the submarine was nearby, hidden underwater. That could become a nuisance, he usually loved a nice battle, but now he had a new toy to play with.

"Get everyone back on board, let's set sail as soon as possible," Eustass ordered to nobody in particular.

Killer released his grip on Law's arm and went away to carry out the orders. Wire, since his load was now too heavy, let him go too and Law ended unceremoniously face down on the wooden floor.

"Captain, what are you going to do with him, exactly?" Wire asked before Kid disappeared below deck once again.

Eustass smiled unpleasantly, "he's worth a lot of money," he said, already gloating at the thought of the tinkling of hundreds and thousands of golden coins. “Have him fixed, he's of little use if he dies. Then we'll see if his crew offers more than the Marines."

Wire nodded, loaded the unconscious pirate on his shoulder and headed below deck.

Kid devoted himself to rushing preparations for the imminent departure, he was full of energy, one step away from total euphoria. In front of his men he had to keep his cool as usual, but inside he was literally giggling. Trafalgar Law was really worth so many money that loading it in the hold risked sinking the ship, but what made Kid shamelessly happy was that before delivering the prisoner he could really have a lot of fun, and if that wasn't a cherry on the cake bigger than the cake itself, well, Kid didn't know how to call it.

To take Trafalgar Law as a prisoner was a great achievement in itself, an extra point scored against a hated rival, even if Kid hadn't actually lifted a finger to catch him. Anyway, if Trafalgar had gone around stomping on somebody else's feet, somebody strong enough to reduce him like that, it wasn't Kid's problem. For the time being Eustass could just have fun teaching the other captain a bit of humility. Heaven knew if the doctor needed it.

When the ship took off, thanks to a nice mistral wind, Kid was finally able to relax. He went below deck, headed directly to the cabin designated as an infirmary.

There was a label on the door with written 'medical officer'. Eustass grinned every time he saw it, he'd personally stolen that sign from a Marine ship years ago, after losing a bet with Killer, right after a hangover that had remained in history. Inside the room, however, there was neither a officer, nor a real doctor. The on-board doctor was just a pirate very skilled in the art of sewing wounds, which he'd learned directly on the field, but without any real academic title. Kid didn't care as long as his nakama kept them all relative whole and alive. He cared even less that day, since he knew who he'd find behind that door.

Upon entering, he vaguely thought of how to reward his two crew members. He couldn't raise Killer status without resigning himself as captain and he couldn't even do it with Wire without doing wrong to Killer. It was a real puzzle so Kid gave up immediately because he had other things on his mind.

He entered the infirmary without knocking. "So, how is he doing?" he asked hurriedly.

Nobody in the world could have mistaken all that diligence for concern. His medical officer replied with a knowing smile. “He isn't hurt, but seawater took its toll. As soon as he wakes up I'll have to sedate him or he'll probably sink our ship. Anyway, he'll survive the shipwreck, or whatever happened to him. What I don't know, Captain, is if he'll survive you."

Kid laughed heartily, it was a legitimate doubt. "We'll see" he said, then left without sparing his new guest even a look, while contemplating a number of possible scenarios. In that moment more than ever Eustass Kid looked, for all intent and purpose, like a cat that got the cream.

  
  


  
  


When Law opened his eyes for the first time everything was blurred and confused, it took him a while to focus and even more to admit that no, he didn't recognize the place. The one thing he could very well detect, instead, was an excruciating headache that made thinking difficult, and also made him horribly sick. The symptoms worsened dramatically when he tried to sit up, in fact he failed miserably and collapsed again on the bed.

Law closed his eyes for a few moments to drive away an annoying dizziness that risked to make him vomit, albeit his stomach was sadly empty. When he opened them again he startled: there was someone in the room, someone he hadn't noticed before, who had now come too close to his bed.

It was a man with a greenish coat, light skin and short red hair that vaguely reminded Law of something, or better, someone. The man stood there, silent, with his arms folded, and when Trafalgar noted he was clutching a syringe in his right hand, he knew he was in trouble.

The young man acted fast then, too much for Law's weakened state, so Trafalgar found himself with a needle in his arm way before being able to do something. Before the darkness fell on him again he saw the stranger bending his head on a side with a little reassuring smile.

"Hi," he said, "welcome aboard the Victoria Punk."

The last thing Law could think of was a solemn curse. That ship belonged to the goddamned Eustass Captain Kid. Now he knew why that guy with the syringe looked familiar. It was not good news at all, but Law didn't even have the time to regret it too much, in a matter of moments the sedative took effect and he was deep asleep.

  
  


When he woke up for the second time Law had no idea how long he'd slept, but he was certainly no longer in the same room. He was now in a smaller room, which was also darker and without any doubt much damper. At least he was still on a bed and that, all things considered, was a lucky circumstance because he still felt like complete shit and was having difficulty remembering a large number of things. For example, how he'd managed to put himself in such a disastrous situation?

While uselessly trying to remember his most recent past, he also noticed to be tied to the bed. With sea stone handcuffs, of course, otherwise it would have been too easy. The damned stuff only added fatigue and discomfort to his body, and confusion to his mind. It was as if he had a high fever and maybe it was just so. He also had a drip on his right arm, with god only knew what inside.

Would he get used enough to the predicament to be at least able to think? Trafalgar could only hope, because he may be physically not at his peak, but as long as he could use his brain he could still beat Eustass Kid.

As soon as his current worst enemy came to his mind Trafalgar cursed every deity, existing or not, for putting him in the clutches of the other pirate. Maybe even the World Government would have been better, instead he'd to end up as Kid's 'guest' and he could already appreciate the results of that circumstance.

After an unspecified amount of time the door of what looked much more like a cell than a room opened with a squeak, and Law had a sudden and sad premonition.

The Captain himself came through that door, indeed, and to add insult to injury he looked annoyingly happy.

"Finally," the red-head said jovially, "I was about to lose hope and throw your useless carcass to the fish."

Trafalgar didn't even bother to glare at him, but Kid had already gone off on a tangent. "You drank a whole lot of sea water, poor thing," he teased. “Two of my men found you on a beach and saved you, aren't you lucky!”

Even if Law felt as unlucky as one could be, albeit unwittingly Kid had made himself at least a little useful, adding some important pieces to that strange puzzle that Trafalgar's life had become in the last few hours. If only he could know how he'd gotten on that beach in the first place! His memories were an absurd hodgepodge of images thrown together and Law couldn't even tell what was real and what wasn't. Concern about whatever had happened to his crew made it even more difficult for him to concentrate. He vaguely remembered a ship, or maybe two. He also remembered a loud noise, like a bang, then the icy grip of the water. There had been voices screaming his name, at some point, shouting at him to hold on, then nothing more.

Someone had attacked the Polar Tang, then, some suicidal fool looking for a promotion or a prize had signed his death sentence with that thoughtless gesture. Anyway, Trafalgar thought, one problem at a time. He couldn't take revenge on anyone unless he first got off that stupid ship, which at the moment seemed quite impossible due to his condition and Eustass' obvious hill intentions.

There was no doubt that Kid was plotting something terrible and that was a problem. Eustass was a rival who had already proved to be quite annoying, in the past, he was without any doubt an enemy and also notoriously a sadist. Normally their strength was at the same level, to the point that it was almost fun, for Law, to clash with him, but right now he was too disadvantaged.

If only he could concentrate, but Kid's useless and loud chatter made things even worse, so Law's irritation grew.

"Shut up!" He finally snarled, exasperated.

The red-head fell silent, mostly because he was stunned by Trafalgar's audacity. He'd consider those words a serious affront in a normal circumstance, the fact that they'd come from a prisoner made them spectacularly worse. The silence, unfortunately for the dark-haired man, didn't last long.

Kid's eyes lit up with an evil light and Law almost regretted what he had just said, he was usually a better strategist than that. He'd made a quick calculation and realized that he had all the symptoms that could be expected in a castaway, that meant that he wasn't in a condition to suffer a physical attack, much less by a ruthless man such as Eustass, who, by the way, was on him in an instant. Kid grabbed the neck of the black and yellow sweatshirt and pulled Trafalgar up as much as he could, considering that Law had both his wrists tied to the edges of the bed.

"Get well soon doctor," he growled, "then we'll play."

Without waiting for an answer that wouldn't have come anyway, Kid showed Law back on the bed, then left leaving Trafalgar with an unexpected and deep restlessness in his heart. Eustass hadn't even hit him, but given the way he'd looked at him and the tone he'd used, he almost preferred that he did.

If someone known for his passion for violence wanted to give a prisoner time to recover it had to be because he was plotting something truly hominous. Law could only sigh. Being a prisoner on an enemy ship was never fun, especially if the enemy was a bloody beast like Eustass Kid.

  
  


For his part the red-head returned to his cabin in a much worse mood than when he'd left it to visit his reluctant guest. Obviously Trafalgar had to spoil the fun with his arrogance and his cheekiness. To tell him, Eustass Captain Kid to shut up! On his own ship! It was inconceivable and Kid was literally shivering with rage and the desire to teach him a lesson, or at the very least slap him, but he knew he'd to keep his temper in check for the time being, just for a while, until Law was a little healthier. Otherwise the fun would end too soon.

The only solace for the Captain was the expression he had caught in Trafalgar's eyes a moment before leaving his room. It had been only a moment, then his insufferable rival had summed up his usual stoic expression, but Kid knew what he'd seen, and that was a small spark, a speck of an uneasiness in Law's guarded expression that could be fairly called fear: a balm for Kid's battered ego.

It had been and unexpected surprise, though. Kid detested Trafalgar Law and that was a fact, but with no stretch of imagination he could consider him a weak man or a coward. Eustass had done absolutely nothing to him, just a tug and some generic threat as he was sure a pirate like Trafalgar had heard many many times in his career. He'd simply said "we'll play", nothing more than that, nothing horrible at all, despite the obvious implications. Kid was well aware that his personal idea of fun had to be very different from Trafalgar's one, but if that was enough to scare him then Eustass would have been disappointed. He still didn't like the other pirate, he didn't like his arrogance and his general attitude but he could still have fun with him, assuming that the infamous Surgeon of Death didn't turn out to be a pussy.

Eustass planned to take another trip to the cell very soon and try to find out if the doctor was really as fun to play with as he'd thought. Less than twenty-four hours after their first conversation, in fact, Kid was back at Law's bedside. The prisoner was asleep, so after a few moments Eustass snorted, disappointed. That was boring, that was no fun at all.

He moved a chair and pulled it closer to the bed, in doing so he purposely produced a loud and annoying noise, but all he got was just a slight movement of Trafalgar's eyelids. Eustass sat down and crossed his legs, then, and he _accidentally_ hit the bed. This worked better, albeit slowly Law opened his eyes and as soon as his gaze, still clouded by sleep, fell on his visitor he winced despite himself. A second later he had to regret that momentary lack of self-control, because an aggravating, satisfied expression had appeared on the red-head's face.

Trafalgar was tense and didn't want to show it, but Eustass noticed anyway. "What's up, did I scare you?"

"What did you expect, with that ugly mutt of yours?" Articulating more than two words was still a huge effort for Law, but he couldn't help insulting Kid every time he saw him.

"Don't test me, Trafalgar, I've been kind so far. Don't try to take advantage of it."

"Staring at people while they sleep isn't kind, it's disturbing." And it was, it really was, but Trafalgar already considered Eustass a psychiatric case, so he didn't waste his limited energy explaining him something that he wouldn't understand anyway.

"Don't worry, I'm just studying"

"Studying? You?"

Eustass didn't rise to the bait, instead he bent down to whisper in Law's ear "there are a lot of things I want to do to you, before I deliver you to the Marines or throw you in the ocean." Then he abruptly got up, again producing as much noise as possible as he moved his chair.

Trafalgar gritted his teeth, furious at Eustass's arrogance but also at himself for having shown even the slightest nervousness. Of course the red-head would take advantage of it. He remained stubbornly silent, however, so as to not give Kid any reason to prolong his visit.

  
  


Once alone Law remained perfectly still for a while, just looking at the ceiling, mostly because there wasn't much else he could do.

He used his excess of free time trying to remember the most recent events. He still had no idea how he'd survived to begin with. He couldn't swim, he couldn't even float. Certainly his nakama had helped him somehow, then why he was alone now? Why did Kid took only him, if delivering him to the Marine was what he intended to do? Many of his crew members were worth good money too, it'd have been a waste not to collect their bounties too.

How Eustass intended to do it was a mystery in itself. He would end up in jail too if he tried, but Trafalgar couldn't care less about him. Instead he needed to know what had become of his friends and the Polar Tang. He was sure that a couple of Marine ships weren't enough to do serious damage, but he still had to fight to push back the worry and anguish slowly taking hold of him. His crew was his family, his submarine his home, but fear was a dangerous feeling, and panic wouldn't help.

The only sensible thing to do was to find a way to leave the Victoria Punk, find his crew, and also those who had put him in that situation, so that he could make them pay. Maybe he'd even keep a few of them for his experiments, Law thought, so that they'd get the chance to repent for their stupidity. After that, he could take care of Eustass as well. Law liked that plan, desire for revenge was much more constructive than fear. The only problem was that there wasn't much he could do as long as he was chained to that bed, and probably not even after.

He clearly sensed the swing of the ship on the waves, the movement was too sharp, too marked, they had to be offshore which meant that he was twice a prisoner. Would it have been possible to bargain? With Eustass Kid, of all people, a man who wasn't just a rival, but also a primitive brute? This was what worried Law the most. He had to buy himself some time at least, but could one come to terms with such a beast, or even speak civilly?

Trafalgar knew he'd to be patient, he'd to wait, sooner or later the ship would make a stop somewhere. In the meantime, he could only hope to receive a decent treatment, as it had actually happened until then, all thing considered. That was a detail that really didn't add up. Yes, he was in sea stone handcuffs, which was pretty normal for a devil fruit user prisoner, but why hadn't Kid done anything to him yet? Why had he even had him treated? What actually worried Trafalgar were certain allusions, and the way the Captain had looked at him, or rather, examined him. That was quite disturbing.

Law went through some possibilities: he could endure cold, starvation, and physical pain, he had a decidedly high tolerance and even if he wasn't looking forward to the prospect of long hours of torture for the fun of Eustass Kid, it was still better than the only alternative that came to his mind.

Was it possible that Kid intended to force him to... Law didn't want to think about it, but the way Eustass had looked at him and the things he'd said or implied, were worrisome. If that was really the case Law wouldn't be able to stop him and he knew it. Probably Kid knew it too. Sea stone made him weak and even worse, prevented him from using his power. Hopefully he'd misunderstood, yet Law highly doubted that someone like Eustass had any moral brakes. His bad reputation was surely well earned, thanks to the fact that he had no limits when it came to inflicting pain. Kid was completely ruthless, everybody knew it because he'd proven it several times, leaving trails of blood behind himself wherever he went.

Normally Law wouldn't be so judgemental. He had to admit that his own morals weren't really much higher, he knew that many people considered his scientific interests perverse and perhaps they were. He also knew that he had no more empathy of a marble block, but he'd never stoop to something as vile as the rape of a prisoner. His moral superiority, albeit limited, was of little consolation in his current situation anyway.

After some time the door to his room opened again, diverting Law from his depressing thoughts. At first he found himself lucky to see that it wasn't Eustass, possibly the last person in the world he wanted to deal with, it was the other red-haired guy, instead, the one who was taking care of him. More or less. The relief, however, didn't last very long because the man had yet another syringe in his hand and Killer by his side, with his omnipresent mask firmly in place, his weapons fixed to his belt and chains in his hands.

Trafalgar tried to react immediately, even knowing well how useful it might be; he couldn't simply stay still and let the other two do whatever they intended to do. He didn't got to do much of anything anyway, because the red-head pirate had already pierced him with his needle, while Killer held his legs still with all the weight of his body. As he lost consciousness, Law could hear the first mate's last words and his sarcastic tone, "sorry man, you know, Captain's orders." After that Trafalgar's vision went blurry, as well as his thoughts, and he just managed to give the other two the finger before surrending to the darkness.

  
  


A Few hours later, when he woke up again, Trafalgar found himself doubly upset. First he made a pact with himself: he'd never lose consciousness again. He didn't like losing control, ever, even less when he was prisoner on a enemy ship. At the cost of killing Kid's friends and ending up into the depths of the ocean for real, he'd never let them drug him again. The second major reason of disappointment was that he was no longer in a bed. He was still chained, of course, this time to a damp, dirty and quite smelly wooden wall, in a cell even smaller than the previous one, lit by a little, yellowish artificial light. They had placed him on a pile of hay that was probably supposed to be a bed but was so uncomfortable it could be considered the first of a long series of torture devices. The heavy manacles on his wrists were connected to chains that were at least long enough to allow him to stand up, if he wanted to stretch his legs a little, but that was his only luxury.

 _Captain's orders_. Right. Eustass obviously had thought to make his stay a little worse. Whether it was because Law's attitude or out of sheer malice, the prisoner didn't know, not that it mattered anyway. Kid wouldn't really need a reason, and after all an uncomfortable room was really the least of Law's concerns.


	2. 2

Time went by slowly, and Law kept count of the days only thanks to the meals they brought him quite regularly, and in the meantime he saw Eustass Kid all too often.

The red-head pirate came to visit him, as he insisted on saying, more or less on a daily basis, and every time he enjoyed invading Trafalgar's personal space, just because he knew how happy it'd make his prisoner. He went from casually putting his hand on Law's knee to abruptly grabbing his hair to force him to look at his face whenever Law insisted on ignoring him. Which happened quite often.

Anyway despite Kid's unbearable arrogance and his non existent manners, what irked Law the most was that every time he felt as if Kid was checking him out, inch by inch, his fiery gaze lingered on his body just an instant too long, in a way that the dark haired pirate liked less and less.

Sometimes it was as if Eustass spoke exclusively for more or less veiled double entendre, and Trafalgar tried to not give it too much importance because, after all, they were just words. With a little more effort he made himself ignore Kid's hands as well, whenever the pirate, who clearly had no concept of personal space, came too close for comfort. Kid's ruby eyes, though, were still too intense, loaded with something Law couldn't really grasp, and that was what made him uncomfortable more than anything else.

Not letting Kid notice how affected he was by his presence wasn't always easy for Law, but it was of paramount importance. If Eustass noticed something he'd surely find a way to use that weapon against him. Kid was an instinctive creature, Law had understood this for some time, maybe he didn't have a great spirit of observation but he was endowed with a strong intuition that led him to identify the weaknesses of his opponents pretty easily. A predator, who always knew when to attack. True to his nature, at least on an unconscious level, Kid had indeed noticed right away that something in Trafalgar just didn't add. Only after a few days, however, did Eustass understand the true meaning of Law sometimes unexpected reactions.

Albeit the two pirates didn't know each other so well, he knew at least how Trafalgar behaved in battle. Law was cold and sneaky, always alert, quick on the counterattack, or at least he'd been in the past. Now, instead, he seemed too cautious, as if he was waiting for something to happen, even though Kid went to his cell unarmed and hadn't even used his power on him yet. Trafalgar was a prisoner, that was true, and Kid would've even been affronted if Law had spent his captivity happy and relaxed as if he were on vacation, but there had to be something else. What, exactly, was keeping the raven haired man on his toes?

Kid was almost starting to think that Law was basically just a weirdo, until one fine day everything became clearer, and that new adventure became much more fun than everything else before.

It had taken a while, but in the end he'd realized that what Trafalgar seemed to fear, or at least not be so fond of, was not pain, or retaliation, but physical contact itself.

Maybe, Eustass thought, for someone like him, who had more of a popsicle than of a human being, it was normal. Kid, on the contrary, was a very physical person, he often exchanged handshakes or pats on the shoulders with his friends, he jostled with them for fun quite often and in battle he immediately resorted to hand-to-hand combat without ever wasting too much time in chatter. Trafalgar, instead, even in a fight could limit contact to the minimum, his devil fruit allowed him to keep his distance more often than not, and so did his sword.

Kid had to eyeroll pretty hard at that realization. Trafalgar surely had a superiority complex of epic proportions and had probably already cut a limb or two to anyone ever trying to touch him. Such a priss, he had to be such great fun in bed, Eustass thought sarcastically, and right at the moment, thanks to that, an idea that was at the same time disconcerting and exhilarating crossed his mind.

Could _that_ be the real point? For real?

For some inexplicable reason the doctor had probably concluded that Kid had set his eyes on him in _that_ way, perhaps he even feared that Kid would force him into sex. The moment he had that epiphany, Eustass laughed so hard he nearly cracked his ribs, even though he didn't quite understand how Law had possibly come to such a conclusion. Wasn't it obvious enough how much Kid despised him?

Luckily the revelation had come late at night, when Eustass was already in bed, alone in his room. Had it happened while he was in Law's presence, he'd have blatantly laughed in his face and ended up showing his hand too soon. Now, instead, he had the opportunity to calm his hilarity and find the best way to play that fabulous card. All that plotting, planning and reasoning, usually bored him to death, and in fact he didn't bother with it, yet for the good doctor he was ready to make an exception.

Eustass didn't mean to touch Trafalgar, not like that. He hated his guts enough to feel no desire at all for him, although he had to admit that Law wasn't even that bad, at least physically. He'd noticed the details the first time he had seen him sleep. Huge eyes, high cheekbones, long legs, slim hips; looking at him closely, however obnoxious, Trafalgar could be considered vaguely attractive. It didn't mean a thing, though, there were dozens of pretty guys around, who were not plagued by the abhorrent personality the doctor had the misfortune to possess.

It was precisely to punish Trafalgar for being impossible that Kid decided that that misunderstanding had to be exploited and nourished. Spilling an enemy's blood was fun, but it was ancient history, already seen a thousand times. That was a new game and for the blood spilling, eventually, there'd be time later. Meanwhile, Kid could make Law believe anything he wanted and enjoy seeing the fear creep behind his perpetually stoic facade. Trafalgar wasn't as good at hiding his own feelings as he believed, especially now that Kid knew what to look for.

That night the red-head fell asleep with a blissful smile on his lips, like a kid who had just got a new toy and looked forward to start playing with it.

During the following days everything went smooth as silk, at least from Kid's point of view. A seemingly casual touch, phrases studied artfully to be interpreted in more than one way, threats whispered in Trafalgar's ear rather than screamed in his face. Eustass was having the time of his life seeing how Law held his breath, at times, or bit his lip to not say something he thought would make his situation worse. A couple of times Kid had even managed to startle his prisoner, albeit barely, when his hand had inadvertently, or not, rested on Trafalgar's thigh instead of his knee. Or when he'd grabbed him by the hair because he deserved a good reprimand for his insolence, and had brought his face a little too close. One day a slightly higher wave had made Kid lose his balance while he was crouched in front of Law, so he'd come tremendously close to kiss him for real. Involuntarily, of course, but Law didn't know that.

Trafalgar had instinctively placed his hands on Kid's chest to push him away. He'd never done anything like that before, he'd never deliberately touched the other pirate, he'd always flaunted total indifference but that time, evidently, he had not been able to stop himself on time. Finally, after so many days, even Trafalgar's nerves of steel were showing signs of slowing down and Kid had liked so much the humiliation written clearly in his stormy eyes, that he'd decided he wanted to see it more often.

"Oh, the doctor is a little shy, who'd have thought," he said, grinning like a loon and lifting Trafalgar's chin with two fingers. Law, already fed up and angry at himself, spat in his face. Eustass returned the courtesy with a backhand that made Law's nose bleed, then kept on talking as if nothing had happened. To have so much power over a creature as independent and wild as Trafalgar Law made his head spin.

"It wouldn't hurt if you relaxed a bit, you know?" Eustass said putting his hand on Law's leg once again, far above the knee, and Law couldn't help stiffen his muscle like marble.

Once again Trafalgar found himself unable to tolerate such an intrusive behaviour, he brusquely pushed Kid's hand away, at the same time trying to pretend to be unaffected by it. "Go to hell," he added for good measure, not caring if that provoked the red-head's wrath once more.

He'd already endured enough, his heart was beating too fast and having his hated enemy so close was making even breathing a bit too difficult. Eustass had to go away of his own free will or find himself with a broken knee, and to hell with the consequences.

Kid, for his part, had guessed right. Trafalgar had spent several days in captivity, almost always in total solitude, without even knowing what had become of his crew. He had tried to ask about that, of course, but Kid's answers had been deliberately vague so Law had come to the conclusion that he was alone on board, otherwise Eustass could have blackmailed him, using the life of his nakama as a leverage. However, he still couldn't be completely sure, and in the darkest moments the thought that some of his friends may be prisoner or even dead came back to haunt him. He wasn't used to idleness either, and having nothing to occupy his thoughts except his own fears, rational or irrational as they were, was pushing him more and more to the edge. His tolerance for silly games was now lower than ever.

However, after being sent to hell, Kid predictably snapped and his sour mood made him vicious. If a slap hadn't been enough, he told himself, he should've scared Trafalgar a little more. He grabbed Law's wrists and pinned both his hands above his head, then he seized a fistful of his raven hair and forced his neck in a painful angle.

When Kid talked he was dangerously close again, so that he could hiss his threat into Trafalgar's ear. "You're on my ship, you do as I say and you don't talk back, you better get used to it."

At the same time Law, without even realizing it, had raised his knee as if to form a barrier. In order to get even closer and make his threat even more effective, Kid had pulled Law's knee away and in doing so he'd forced him to open his legs. At that point Law was thorn between a barely restrained fury and something else that was beginning to look too much like panic. His breathing had become laboured in an attempt not to push Kid off again, possibly with a kick to the groin. Eustass deserved that and much worse, but Trafalgar knew that that would mean he was showing fear, which just couldn't do.

“You threaten a prisoner, how typical. Untie me, if you dare, then we'll see” he said instead, but Eustass smiled hastily. “Nice try, Trafalgar, but you know, I've big plans for you. I think that learning a little humility will only do you good.” That said, he finally let Law go, but he moved away just a little.

“By no stretch of imagination can one believe that you know what humility is.” Trafalgar's reply was full of contempt, his smile sharp and cold as steel and this time it was Eustass the one who had a little jolt. Suddenly he got up, he was starting to be seriously angry for several reasons, not least the scent emanating from Law's dark hair, thanks to the showers that in his magnanimity he allowed him. Kid had to pause for a moment to remind himself not to mind those silly details, then he rewarded Law's latest statement with a kick to the stomach that left the other pirate gasping for air, but that could have been much more violent.

"Now I have a ship to steer,” he said sternly. “Behave or I'll send some of my men to give you the first lesson."

With that Kid unexpectedly went away, leaving Law breathless for the first few moments and too busy struggling not to vomit to be able to insult the other pirate as he'd have liked.

As soon as he could breath again Law had to face the fact that Kid had just threatened to give him to his crew. He decided to dismiss that thought as an empty threat, though; Kid wouldn't have done it anyway, he was too selfish, too possessive, but he was seriously angry, Law had seen it in his face, albeit he didn't understand why, exactly. Certainly Eustass, as delusional as he might be, could never have expected total obedience and submission. That last conversation had been pretty ordinary by their standards, and that wasn't even the only weird thing.

As he struggled to sit up, trying to breathe slowly and deeply to ease the pain in his stomach, Trafalgar remembered seeing something, a second before Kid had turned around. Had it been an erection that thing decorating the crotch of his horrible pants?

He would have much preferred to believe that no, he'd just imagined it, after all he was pretty sure that nothing of the sort had ever happened before. Yet Law knew what he'd seen, which only increased his sense of helplessness. He shouldn't have reacted to Kid's provocations, he shouldn't have because evidently Eustass, in his sick mind, had found it arousing, but it wasn't easy. As time passed, Law had to endure the imprisonment without knowing when and how it would end, his patience was running out while his frustration grew, and there wasn't a single thing he could do to stop it.

He'd probably been lucky that time, he thought, since Kid apparently had other things to do, but if that had not been the case, if Eustass had had time to stay there with him, in the state in which he was, angry, vengeful, and also turned on, it could only have ended one way and it was a way Trafalgar didn't want to think about.

Hours or minutes later, Law wasn't sure, the cell door opened again. It was just one of the Kid's pirates who had brought something to eat. The man put the small tray on the floor and left without a word.

Law ate the uninviting food unwillingly, just because he knew he had to keep his strength, the sea stone around his wrists exhausted him enough already. That night he stayed awake for a long time, half expecting Eustass to come back to finish what he hadn't started yet. At night the mind was less lucid, the inhibitions less domineering. Assuming a beast like Eustass had some. Anything could happen, but Kid didn't show up, so after several hours Law gave in to exhaustion and slept a restless, shallow sleep.

Another horrible day had passed.

  
  


  
  


Meanwhile, several floors above, in the darkness of his own room, Eustass too, who generally slept like a stone, had to struggle to find some rest. He'd really had to look after his ship that day, Killer had often pointed out that he was wasting too much time with Trafalgar. It was more or less true and anyway he'd been glad to have an easy way out. The veil of sweat on Law's amber skin, the tension in his muscles, his short breathing, everything in the other pirate had evoked in Kid's mind an all too intriguing image, which in turn had caused his own body to betray him right in front of his hated prisoner.

It wasn't normal, it shouldn't have happened. Eustass only wanted to have some fun, his only purpose had been to keep Trafalgar on his toes, to find out what his limits were and push, because it was entertaining like hell. And what if he wanted to use those limits against him? It was what pirates did after all. There was, however, something in the other man, something Kid had tried to ignore until then but couldn't overlook any more. Law's attitude, his pride, even his arrogance, were like an itch that Eustass couldn't scratch. Lately, whenever he was in Trafalgar's presence he got all sorts of odd vibes, and thoughts that had no right to exist at all blossomed in his brain. To be able to break down Trafalgar Law's facade was just a challenge and all the challenges invariably thrilled Kid, but not in the way it had happened that day.

Before he could regain enough focus to do anything else, he had even been forced to shut himself up in the bathroom to solve the damned, embarrassing problem just created by the damned, idiotic Trafalgar Law, with also the regret of not having hit him harder, which was a shame in itself.

That night, in his bed, the more Eustass thought about the other pirate, the more his anger grew, and the more furious he was the less he could get Trafalgar out of his head. How was he even supposed to forget to have him on his ship, completely at his mercy? Kid could virtually do anything to him. Power undoubtedly exalted the red-head pirate like few other things and the image of his most hated rival chained to a wall, completely at his disposal, warmed the blood in his veins while taking the connotations of a sick obsession that didn't look like something that would leave him alone anytime soon.

It wasn't fair at all, Eustass lamented inwardly. He hadn't really done anything to deserve his brilliant plan to backfire like that; what good was to be a feared pirate if one couldn't even take hostages and make them spit blood in peace, at least when they acted disrespectful?

To add insult to injury, the idea that there might be something else had sprouted from Trafalgar's own rotten brain. Eustass Kid was just minding his own business and anyway, contrary to popular belief, he was perfectly capable of controlling himself. Despite all the blood shed during his raids, entire looted villages and a well-deserved reputation as a ruthless and heartless man, he'd his limits too. At least one. He wasn't a rapist. Not exactly out of conscience, maybe, but out of pride. He didn’t need to be one.

He was the one who aroused desire in other people, it'd always been like that. A body that made him look like the statue of a god, a courage that often resulted in recklessness, and a more than respectable bounty on his head, made him the object of the attraction of both women and men often enough. And whenever he'd laid eyes on someone else, he'd basically never been rejected. To force another person to yield to his desire would have been like a defeat.

Sex was just a game for Kid, entertaining, pleasurable, even joyful with the right person. Trafalgar Law obviously had to ruin his fun, had to be the exception that confirmed the rule. Go figure, who else if not him? The pirate born specifically to screw up his days.

Poor Eustass simply wanted to amuse himself by seeing Law's insufferable air of superiority shattered.

Sometimes it seemed that Trafalgar didn't have human emotions at all, at least Kid had come pretty close to that conclusion, until Law had shown him that under his unflappable appearance he was as much a human being as Eustass was. It should've been a day to celebrate, instead it'd been where Kid's defeat had truly begun. Instead of an insane satisfaction, he had started to have a very strong desire to first break Law's face, and then kiss him silly. Only because he knew how embarrassing Trafalgar would find it. Of course. Yet that night Eustass fell asleep wondering what Law's lips would taste like.

After that, Kid kept his distance for a couple of days. On the third morning he went to see Law as he had already done so many times, but he didn't come close, he remained as far as possible without leaving the cell and simply stared at the other pirate without saying anything for a few long moments.

Trafalgar held his gaze, although he knew that that would probably lead to another kick very soon. He didn't want to give Kid the satisfaction of looking subdued, besides he didn't feel comfortable losing sight of the other Captain. The cell was so small that albeit Eustass had barely entered it, who knew why, he was still not far enough. Plus, he had that strange look in his eyes again, the one that Law couldn't decipher as he'd have liked and that annoyed him considerably.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked after a while, since Kid persisted in keeping his mouth shut and his fiery eyes on him, which were starting to become simply unbearable.

Those words at least seemed to bring the red-head back to the present, he crossed his arms and shifted his gaze, albeit briefly. "I don't have to ask your permission to stay here, it's my ship."

"You still look like a psychopath, just so you know" Law retorted without missing a beat, thinking about the day he'd woken up just to find Eustass staring at him.

Kid didn't miss the chance either. "So tell me, Trafalgar, what would you like me to do, instead?" His tone didn't bode too well, but Law was too done to care already "I'd like you to drown, thank you very much.”

Predictably, Kid was on him in a flash, grabbed the collar of his hoodie and raised his hand, ready to backhand him. Trafalgar didn't move, didn't even flinch, he kept on staring at Eustass with his jaw clenched, and an air of defiance that once again made the crotch of Kid's trousers a little too tight.

"You're boring me" Eustass snapped. "In a few days we'll arrive, I'll deliver you to the Marines, collect all the money your sorry ass is worth, then you'll rot in Impel Down forever."

Having said that, Kid went away determined to do just as he'd said, even if the decision to finally get rid of the prisoner had come at that very moment, when Law once again had refused to submit. He was annoying, he was incredibly annoying. Eustass found himself wondering how he'd even managed to tolerate his presence, together with the unbearable, cloying, wonderful scent of his hair, for so long.

  
  


On his uncomfortable hay bed Law was pretty confused as well. Arriving who knew where and leaving that damned ship was a dream come true, but ending up in Impel Down wasn't something to look forward to. Eustass, anyway, had referred to him only, that was at least another confirmation that none of Law's nakama were prisoners on that ship, which counted as good news as well.

The fact still remained that Kid hadn't hit him, and if Law hadn't provoked him he'd have probably stayed at a safe distance. It was just odd, if the physical closeness was diminishing, the desire in Kid's eyes did nothing but grow.

Law sighed audibly at that thought, if Eustass truly intended to deliver him to the Marines soon, he could decide to act on that desire even sooner, and Law still wasn't sure how to stop him. Of course he'd have fought with all his might, albeit with the knowledge that at best he'd have delayed the inevitable. From that perspective, yes, even Trafalgar Law was scared.

He didn't know what was keeping Eustass at bay, but he knew he couldn't simply wait for him to make his move. Law had suffered many things over the years, and the path to become what he was now had never been easy. There had been defeats, losses, pain but that kind of violence he'd never had to endure, and he didn't want to start right now.

The cards he could play were few: the only weapon left to him was his brain. Al least playing cunning with someone like Kid couldn't be so difficult. In that, at least, Law found some peace and managed to be more rational towards the whole situation.

He'd stood still for too long, metaphorically and not, he'd let Eustass lead the game and that had been a mistake. It wasn't too late, though, if he put his mind to it he could be free again very soon. That prospect made everything vaguely less disturbing, as if Law had found himself again after so long.

While he didn't have many options, at least he'd two advantages. The first one was that the wall of his cell were so damp and rotten that the chains couldn't be wedged on it as firmly as it looked, besides he was slowly getting accustomed to sea stone, so while he still wasn't able to use his devil fruit, he felt at least a little stronger. The second advantage was that he had an actual plan that could work.

Defeating Eustass would've been fun on a normal day, beating him at his own game would have been the best thing ever, and just thinking about it made a small, cynical smile blossom on Law's lips.

It was now pretty clear that, apart from his sadistic games, Kid was truly attracted to him. That fact was disturbing on many levels, but could still be exploited to deceive Eustass, to induce him to lower his guard, to hit him when he was more vulnerable and finally regain his freedom. If played carefully that plan could become a masterpiece. The only thing Law had to mind was not throwing himself at Kid's feet too soon, and it wasn't a matter of pride, or at least not only. If Trafalgar had simply offered himself, even Eustass would've understood that there was something going on.

Law, however, was very talented at manipulating idiots, and for him Eustass Kid was just the prototype of an imbecile who'd be deceived by the more or less veiled promise of a good fuck. If anything, the problem was Trafalgar himself: in those days more than ever all he felt about his rival was disgust. He detested him for keeping him away from his crew for so long, and also for instilling a whole series of negative feelings to which the doctor was not accustomed. He hated himself for having been even slightly scared of the other pirate, and he hated the other pirate even more for making him feel that way. So pretending an interest, even if vague, could be a challenge.

He decided to force himself to think about the good qualities of Eustass Kid, at least the physical ones, because he excluded that there was something salvageable in his addled brain, but he needed something if he wanted to give at least a vaguely believable performance.

The first attempts were a total failure. Kid visited more rarely, but when he did he was more cruel, more violent, he hit Law at every word or look he deemed wrong. When he didn't, he often kept his distance and even limited his double entendre, despite this, every time he opened his mouth, Law wished to make him spit his teeth.

Actually, Trafalgar had the same wish even when Kid wasn't around. It was starting to be quite frustrating and even dangerous, he couldn't wait forever.

One day Law decided to put major efforts into his plan, without knowing that Kid had done more or less the same exercise when he'd arrived on his ship and was now cursing the consequences.

He closed his eyes and focused really hard, so at the end of an exhausting afternoon, he'd reached the conclusion that Eustass had indeed some physical qualities, and after countless days spent on anatomy books, Trafalgar was certainly able to appreciate them. Kid actually had a sculpted physique he didn't particularly bother to hide under his clothes, and considering his ominous taste it was almost better that way.

His eyes were of an unusual, intense colour, and the red of his hair created a contrast with the light tone of his skin which undoubtedly had something exotic, alluring, even.

At the thought of having just put _alluring_ and _Eustass Kid_ in the same sentence Law's eyes snapped open and he'd to wonder about his own mental health. He went really close to headbutt the wall hoping to knock some sense back into his own skull, but then left it alone. After all he'd reached his goal, he'd done enough for one day.

The next time Eustass visited he was unbearable as usual, so Law failed to implement his plan except to a small extent, but the idea of still being able to find his captor disgusting raised his mood to such an extent that he found himself pretty close to an actual smile. Albeit a completely deranged one.

"You are acting all weird today," Kid said when he noticed. "Did I hit you too many times already?”

Trafalgar shrugged without bothering for an answer, but fixed a penetrating gaze on Eustass who, for once, was left unable to say anything else, in fact he just scoffed, then turned away and left.

He showed up again only a few days later and he wasn't in a good mood. He did his best to annoy Trafalgar who purposefully disrespected him at every turn, even if that costed him some retaliation, because by now he knew well enough how much, deep down, Kid enjoyed bickering. And when Eustass put a hand on his neck, almost as if he was deciding whether to strangle him or not, instead of stiffening, trying to push him away, or insult him, Trafalgar Law smiled again.

This time it was Kid's turn to tense, Law was acting even weirder than before. He didn't remove his hand because he liked it exactly where it was, clasped around the dark haired pirate's neck, and to prove an absurd, ridiculous theory just flashed in his mind, Kid came a little closer, until his breath was mixed with Trafalgar's one. Even then Law didn't move an inch, but Kid felt him swallow nervously under his hand. At that Kid felt a knot in his stomach, a heat that rose to his cheeks, he inadvertently licked his lips while an invisible force pulled him to Trafalgar who, in turn, was still as a statue, with his eyes fixed on the other pirate's lips.

“Captain!”

Both Kid and Law startled, for a moment they'd been so caught into each other they'd completely forgot the rest of the world. Law immediately shifted his gaze, while Eustass was on his feet in an instant, put some distance between himself and the prisoner, then turned to face the man who'd come to fetch him.

“We're almost there, Captain” the man said, and if he'd noticed something he avoided accurately commenting on it.

Kid followed him without sparing Law a second glance, he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even bother locking the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> Lots of love, stay safe, stay strong <3


	3. Chapter 3

Alone again, after Kid had gone away, Trafalgar sat perfectly still for a long time, just staring into space.

What had happened? What the hell had just happened?

His plan was finally in motion, Eustass had to believe that he was starting to give in to his so called courting, still Law was not happy at all. If Kid behaviour was explainable and to some extent even preferable, Law had no excuses for himself. Why the heck hadn't he found the heat of Kid's hand on his skin horrible? Why had he been so unable to _not_ stare at his stupidly painted deep red lips? He'd almost, almost let himself be kissed without feeling at least a tiny little bit of repulsion. Why?

Maybe, he told himself, he was simply a much better actor than he'd given himself credit for, yet this wouldn't have explained the vague sense of disappointment he'd felt when Kid had left, leaving him literally high and dry.

To think that just until a few hours before, or even minutes, he'd found the idea of being touched by Eustass nothing less than repellent. Had he really lied to himself so far? Incredulous and baffled, Trafalgar spent the whole night unable to sleep even for a second, until the dawn of a new day arrived. Sitting up tiredly he decided in the end that it was better to look at the bright side: it wasn't a bad thing that he was able to stay so close to the other pirate without vomiting, and to make his acting more credible, probably sooner or later a kiss should have happened anyway.

Just one. It meant nothing. He could manage.

Exhausted from mulling over everything, Law finally shifted his thoughts somewhere else and realized that there was something different, more accurately, something missing. That something was the slow and lazy rocking of the ship on the waves, a movement to which he was accustomed to the point that he hardly noticed it any more, except when it was absent. He had no doubts, they were in a port and that could be his salvation as much as his ruin.

It was finally a chance to leave the ship and contact his crew, but he had to move fast.

If Eustass really wanted to collect the bounty, however, he had to have an intermediary, someone who could deal with the Marines without ending up arrested. Just for a moment Law considered getting himself handed over to anyone who was negotiating for Kid. He was probably someone less dangerous, easily disposed of, but where would be the fun in that? It wouldn't have been even remotely satisfactory. Trafalgar needed to give back to Kid every single one of the humiliations suffered till that day, or it'd have been all for nothing.

The one time he needed Eustass around, though, the red-head didn't show up. He was annoying by nature. Law examined an infinite number of solutions, potential scenarios, situations and possibilities until he eventually decided that he was tired of waiting for Kid, but there was another problem. Surely the ship had to be very well guarded now that it was in a port, which meant that if the crew would never let anyone on board, they'd probably immediately notice if someone tried leaving.

A hostage appeared to be the best solution, and it had to be a valuable one too. The most obvious choice fell on the Captain himself. Trafalgar found the idea quite exhilarating, it was a great way to run with style and at the same time to make Eustass pay for everything he had done to him. A tricky plan, perhaps, but not an impossible one.

Since it was clear that waiting was now pointless, Trafalgar stood on his feet to test his strength. Having been tied for so long had exhausted him, but at least he was glad to notice once more that the effect of the sea stone on his body was no longer as preponderant as it had been at the beginning. Maybe he was even developing some sort of resistance.

Moreover, now that he had a real chance of leaving the ship he felt much more motivated; even the door was unlocked, as if it was trying to tell him something. Of course Trafalgar knew very well that it was simply due to a moment of thoughtlessness on his jailer's part, or perhaps yet another way meant to show Law how much Eustass didn't feel threatened by him.

Not that it mattered either way. Trafalgar started to yank the chains to test their resistance; the handcuffs cut his already bruised wrists, it was quite painful, but he gladly endured it, doing his best to turn the pain into anger and the anger into strength. It took him a while and a truly exhausting effort, but eventually the hooks started to give, the wooden planks the wall was made of, made yielding by the humidity, started to creak until Law finally managed to unhinge the hooks. Hoping he hadn't made too much noise he was then able to pull the chain off the cuffs rings and finally he was free. It was one memorable, almost euphoric moment, but Law didn't waste too much time celebrating. He left the cell, moving ahead slow and cautious. Forced to peek around every corner to make sure he didn't get caught, he soon found out that even standing on his feet was sort of difficult.

Fortunately, there was nobody around, most of the crew was already ashore. After wandering around a bit, Law found some tools by which he could finally get rid of the handcuffs he was still wearing, and it was as if he could breathe again for the first time in weeks. It was such a relief it made him almost dizzy, he had to sit on the ground for a couple of minutes, hidden among crates of supplies and wine barrels waiting for it to pass, but despite this he felt triumphant.

 _Finally,_ he said to himself. At long last.

All the while his eyes rested on the handcuffs. Law didn't really want to have that cursed stone anywhere near his body ever again, but getting up again he decided to take them with him, hidden in his pocket. He'd probably need them later, it'd have been worth it.

When he eventually reached the Captain's cabin he found the door slightly ajar so he was able to peek inside. There seemed to be no one there. At first he was disappointed, maybe Kid had already gone ashore as well, and Law didn't want to leave without a full and complete victory, but then he heard the sound of running water and realized that Eustass was simply in the shower.

He entered and closed the door behind himself as quietly as possible, then took the time to have a look around. That place was worse than a bazaar, messy, full of vaguely technological odds and ends. Trafalgar raised an eyebrow, he'd have gone crazy living in that chaos, but it had to be said that it suited the personality of its owner.

When he heard that the water was no longer running Law hid the handcuffs between the cushions of a chair and moved part of the junk that occupied the large desk to be able to sit on it. Now was the moment to focus, until then his endeavour had proven to be pretty easy, the difficult part started at that moment.

A few minutes later, in fact, Eustass came out of the bathroom barefooted, with his hair wet and only a towel around his waist. The scene in front of his eyes was so unexpected that it was surreal. Trafalgar-the-utter-bastard-Law was seated on his desk, with one foot resting on a chair and the other one on the ground, his arms folded and a defiant look that was what more than anything else made Eustass mad.

His reaction was immediate but perfectly predictable for Law.

"Room!" he said before Kid could complete his own attack, and while an unknown number of sharp objects flew towards him from all directions, Trafalgar disappeared to reappear a moment later behind the other pirate.

Eustass found himself in a deadly headlock, with Trafalgar's arm pressed against his throat, the grip became ever tighter as thousands of bright dots appeared before his eyes; a warm and vaguely amused voice spoke in his ear just then, "that's really all you've got, Eustass?"

Kid couldn't see Law, but he could very well imagine the mocking smile on his lips, and his fury increased. How dared that arrogant, conceited, obnoxious bastard, who in addition was also a prisoner, threaten him, Eustass Captain Kid, on his own ship? He just wouldn't stand for it.

He nudged his opponent in the ribs and Trafalgar was forced to let go and take a few steps back. Eustass had had his fun decorating his body with bruises in the previous days, and that blow had now caused Law excruciating pain. Kid took advantage of it, of course, turned abruptly and punched him in the stomach. The shot landed with much less force than he'd have liked since Kid had come close to losing consciousness just a few instants before, and the lack of oxygen had made his arm less firm and fast than usual. He still had the satisfaction of seeing Law bend to the side, but it was only a moment. The dark haired pirate recovered immediately and lashed out at Kid, who found himself lying on his back, with Law straddling him.

Trafalgar struck twice with a deadly left jab that almost fractured Kid's cheekbone, just to balance at least the most recent count before starting to speak, then grabbed a screwdriver that was on the ground along with a thousand other things and pointed the cold tip right under Kid's eye.

“If you don't let me talk, I'll pull your eye out” Law hissed. “I've got a proposal and I strongly suggest you to listen." He was well aware of the fact that weakened as he was, and in a room full of iron objects, he simply couldn't win thanks to physical strength alone. He had to stick to his original plan, even though he had an insane desire to give back all the blows received in the previous weeks. One by one.

Eustass meanwhile said nothing and Law remained waiting, too amazed at the fact that he'd found the other pirate almost condescending. He'd thought it'd have been difficult to say even two words in a row.

In truth Kid was still furious, but he was even more intrigued by that situation. Having Law basically sitting on him was affecting his body, and he was really curious to know what Trafalgar could possibly hope to propose to get him to give up on punishing him in a thousand sadistic ways for that stupid and useless head-lift.

"Talk," he finally said, propping himself up on his elbows, taking the other pirate by surprise to the point that Law went really close to poke his eye for real, albeit accidentally. Law surely wouldn't have cried about the loss, but such an accident would have slowed down the negotiations a lot. He had expected to receive a not so polite invitation to get up, or at the very least that Kid tried to disarm him, but after all he was glad that nothing of the sort had happened. He was fine where he was, with a weapon aimed at his rival and close enough to make his act even more effective.

"You'll let me go"

Kid laughed sarcastically "of course!"

Law eye rolled pretty hard and sighed audibly, "shut up and listen."

"I'll update you on the latest news, Trafalgar, you're the prisoner here."

"I'm also the one who can blind you and sink your pretty boat in the same instant, so shut up."

"Such a child prodigy!" Kid wasn't intimidated by what was now more of an opponent than a prisoner, but fighting with Trafalgar now that they could both use their powers could really be detrimental for his ship, so in the end he let Law make his proposal, which he was sure he was going to reject anyway.

"Today, on this island, let me go if you know what is good for you," Trafalgar said in a slow, suggestive voice, accompanying those words with a look that he hoped was quite eloquent. Then he stopped, as if to study the other's reaction. Eustass looked at him with an intensity that was almost frightening, and Law had the distinct feeling that the red-head was finally starting to understand what he was talking about, and was quite interested too.

Kid was really easy to manipulate.

"Why should I accept your stupid request?" He still asked with a smile that had something feral. He had formed an idea, of course, but it was too bizarre to be true.

Law slowly slid the tip of the screwdriver along Kid's sternum, without breaking the skin, just leaving a thin red line that would soon disappear. He felt a barely perceptible shiver going through the other pirate's body, but didn't comment on it. He stopped when he met the edge of the towel that Eustass had still tied to his waist, then leaned over him, whispering into his ear "because I could give you willingly what you'd never have by force."

At that point Kid was already hard, and Law was sure it was just a matter of minutes before he fell into his trap.

Eustass actually gulped. It was all very unexpected, to say the last, but also extremely thrilling. The fact that Law was free and in full control of his powers made everything very dangerous and that was exactly what turned him on the most. He knew he couldn't give up so early, though, he had to think about his pride too. At least to some degree.

“I don't need to bargain, I take what I want. Always.”

"You want me, you didn't take me” Trafalgar smiled coldly. “Yet.”

Kid couldn't really argue. It was true, what could he say? He wanted Law, he wanted him badly but was above forcing him and he hated that Trafalgar had finally understood it. That still didn't explain why Law was still sitting on him, looking at him like that. Wasn't a prisoner supposed to hate his captor? There was something wrong and surely a pirate like Trafalgar Law couldn't be trusted, but Kid's blood had already stopped flowing in the direction of his brain. Trafalgar was plotting something, but how could Kid resist him? He had secretly longed for him for so long, through endless nights spent touching himself, thinking of how good Law would've looked sprawled on his bed, with his legs open, his back arched, full of his cock. Sometimes that infatuation had felt just like a stupid, passing accident, other times Kid had feared he was going mad with frustration.

He wanted to get rid of that obsession once and for all, and he seriously hoped that if he could have Law at least once, he'd be cured of that pesky disease. After all he could still collect the bounty right after, and get rid of him and of the torture of having him so close, on his own ship.

Finally, sure that whatever Trafalgar had ever tried, he'd have been able to take care of it, he grabbed him by the hips and overturned the positions, regardless of the fact that Law still had a screwdriver several inches long near his lower parts.

For his part Law had the presence of spirit of not let go of his improvised weapon, and also not to pierce Kid in his only potentially useful part, but when he found himself on his back, crushed under the other pirate's almost naked body, with his now too obvious erection pressed against his own thigh, he felt an odd feeling in his guts.

It was because of all the things that could go wrong, he told himself initially, but almost at the same time he had to discard that hypothesis. Trafalgar Law didn't get nervous before a fight, ever. However, Eustass didn't allow him the time to understand what those damned butterflies were doing in his stomach because he caught his mouth in an hungry kiss and Law just let himself be kissed.

It was ok, he told himself, that was the plan, Kid had to be distracted or he'd have easily anticipated his next move, so in order to distract him even more, Law kissed back without even realizing that he had opened his legs a little more.

It wasn't a sweet kiss. Eustass was establishing his dominance, he was reminding him who was in charge and Trafalgar let him do as he pleased until he was completely satisfied. He didn't even object when Eustass settled more comfortably between his legs, opening them more with the push of a knee.

When Kid stopped he was visibly panting, but he also had a smug smile on his face and Law had the total certainty that he was going to say something completely idiotic.

Eustass, of course, didn't disappoint. "You're such a little whore," he said, but those words sounded much more like a compliment than an insult.

In spite of this, Trafalgar went very close to hit him again to punish him both for what he had just said and for the fact that he was right. However, Kid captured his lips once again and once again Trafalgar had to make an immense effort to remain focused. It was sadly true, he was behaving like a slut in heat while he had to act fast, he'd to make Eustass his hostage, not his bitch, albeit that too had some potential. That was the only way to get back to his crew, he couldn't let himself be deceived by a kiss.

Anyway, Law thought, it was better to wait a little longer, just to be sure that Eustass really had his head elsewhere. In the meantime Kid, oblivious to all those dilemmas, was running a hand along Law's side, underneath his hoodie, from his waist up to his chest, where it stopped to tease one small brown nipple.

Once again, despite his good intentions, Law felt his coherent thoughts drift away.

Was he going mad or were those gestures really so dangerously sweet? Why did the taste of Kid's kisses have to be so intoxicating? The heat and the scent of his skin should have been disgusting, instead after days and days spent in a cold and wet cell, it seemed to Law that having the other pirate's warm body blanketing his own was the most wonderful sensation in the world. He squeezed the screwdriver tightly and raised his hand, could someone be knocked unconscious with such a tool? Trafalgar didn't know, but he had to hit and hit soon, otherwise he'd regret it.

Kid saw him out of the corner of his eye, though, and wasn't surprised at all; he was expecting something like that, but he didn't want to start fighting again, what he wanted now was something else entirely. Certainly, however, he couldn't be killed on his own ship, especially not by Trafalgar. He grabbed both Law's wrists and pinned them on the floor, then looked straight into his eyes shaking his head like a disappointed parent.

"No," he said simply.

Law didn't avert Kid's gaze, instead returned it with the same intensity, but he sighed feigning resignation and let go of his improvised weapon. He heard the screwdriver crawl on the floor as Kid pushed it away with his powers. There were other ways, Law thought anyway, many other ways to break free, if anything the problem was that Eustass, happy to have disarmed him, or perhaps with the intention of rewarding him for his collaboration, was now showering his neck with kisses and small bites and had gone from stroking his side to stroking his legs.

Trafalgar just didn't understand. How could Kid possibly know how much he loved being kissed on the neck? He was probably just a very lucky bastard, he concluded. And was really Eustass Kid the kind of man who gently caressed his partner? Where was the trick? Law was supposed to be the one who plotted and deceived.

Just then Eustass stopped, Law still felt tense and rigid, and not in a good way, even though he'd been the one to practically offer himself. With his forearms on the ground framing Trafalgar's face, half annoyed and half amused, Kid said "you should make up your mind once and for all Trafalgar, what do you want?"

Law found himself incapable to answer that simple question right away. What did he want? He wanted to get off that damned ship, he wanted to erase Eustass Kid from every plane of existence and he wanted to be on his own merry way, back to the Polar Tang. He also wanted to be able to completely detest Eustass once again, he wanted to stop going crazy for his kisses, he wanted to stop needing his hands all over his body, he wanted not to want to tear off that stupid wet towel Eustass was still wearing, and finally he wanted to take whatever Eustass was willing to give, but he couldn't say any of those things out loud.

He decided that after all he didn't own the other pirate anything, not even an answer, so to prevent him from asking other stupid questions he kissed him. It was Kid's turn to be surprised. It was obvious that Law had a second purpose, the fact that he was kissing him on his own initiative surprised Kid much more than the fact that he'd tried to hurt him, but he didn't want to waste that unique and unexpected opportunity. To have Trafalgar at his own disposal, whatever his motives were, to tame him, to _taste_ him, didn't happen every day.

Actually it wasn't even something that Kid would have considered as luck, until some time before, but by now he had largely given up on questioning his own mental health. Trafalgar's brain probably wasn't functioning normally either, but right now it was a minor problem.

He pushed his hips against Law's groin, just to give it a try. The dark aired pirate held his breath and his length hardened considerably so Kid forgot any remaining doubt. Trafalgar maybe had his own shady reasons for being there, but the important thing was that he was doing it all of his own volition, and that he didn't draw back at the last second.

Trafalgar's thoughts were instead a bit more tangled up, both aroused and frustrated, he grabbed a fistful of Kid's still wet red locks so that a few droplets of cold water fell on his hot skin and the feeling brought him back to the present. His plan could still work, he just had to make Kid stop moving like that, because it was making his pants painfully tight and the heat that was accumulating in his lower belly too strong to be still ignored.

Being the contrary bastard he was, Kid actually stopped, but only to worsen Law's predicament a bit more. He unceremoniously slipped one hand inside Trafalgar's pants and grabbed his erection. Law involuntarily arched his back and let out a completely undignified moan while his cheeks burned. If only he could've punched himself! He wasn't supposed to enjoy Kid's touch so much, he just had to distract him in order to take him hostage, with the added satisfaction of leaving him with blue balls, instead with every minute passing, Law felt his goal more and more distant. The floor was full of potential weapons and by now Eustass was certainly distracted enough, yet Law was incapable of taking his hands off him to grab something more useful.

Maybe, he thought, he could allow himself a few moments of release, undoubtedly deserved after long days of captivity, and then follow the original plan. After all, tiring Kid would have made everything easier and the impatience of the red-head for once played in his favour, sparing Trafalgar the ultimate humiliation of being forced to beg.

Eustass in fact was just realizing that despite all his fantasies he'd never really seen Trafalgar naked, and wanted to fix the mistake. Law's hoodie encountered a sad end, thorn apart by Kid's impetuosity. A verbal warning, accompanied by a knee that nearly ended the fun prematurely, was not enough to calm Kid's ardor anyway, and Trafalgar found himself on his stomach, while the other pirate was about to tear the pants off him too.

Law then decided that since Eustass was a dumb brute, he'd to make himself clearer. He pushed himself up with one arm and with the other he elbowed him on the chin, taking advantage of the momentum to return to lie on his back. Then once again he grabbed a handful of Kid's long hair and hissed through gritted teeth, "take it easy or it ends here."

Kid's primitive passion was actually turning him on, but Law still counted on leaving and couldn't do it naked.

Eustass was quite sore from the blow just received, but didn't find it in himself to protest too much, Trafalgar was driving him crazy with lust. "If you say so," he just said with a defiant smile. Law didn't deign him of a reply, but attacked him again, this time with a kiss, then licked the droplets of blood from the spot where Kid had bitten his own lip and Eustass went this close to finish before even starting. Eventually Law's remaining clothes slid safely along his long legs, without suffering the same fate as the hoodie.

Knowing that Eustass wanted him so much already tasted like victory so it was almost gladly that Law opened his mouth to suck the fingers the red-head pirate was offering him, choosing not to dwell too much on what exactly Kid intended to do with those fingers, or he risked having second thoughts again.

Trafalgar hated looking so eager and finding himself so vulnerable to the enemy's most sordid urges, but the control over his own body was slipping away like water through his fingers and Kid's desire was by now his own as well.

Distracting him from his philosophical thoughts, Eustass moved his hand between Trafalgar's legs, stroked his opening for a few long, agonizing seconds and then without asking for permission he pushed first one, then two fingers inside the tight hole, without ever taking his eyes off Law's own.

Once again Trafalgar had to hold his breath. It was all wrong, and all absolutely perfect. Being the centre of Kid's attention in that context was slightly intimidating and absolutely arousing, he'd have also paid in gold to slap away that unbearable look of triumph from the red-head's face, but the truth was that Eustass was exceptionally good at overcoming all Law's resistances, physical or mental. Kid was playing his body like a skilled musician with his favourite instrument, and Law had a tremendous urge to kill him and he would have done just that, if Eustass had dared to stop.

For his part Kid noticed that Trafalgar, albeit visibly turned on, was still trying to fight his own pleasure and he just couldn't understand why such a simple thing as sex had to be so problematic. He started to finger him properly, pushing deeper and deeper, trying to induce Law to surrender to his own lust, to relax once and for all, to accept those sensations that, he knew, had to be amazing.

"You like it?" He asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

"I've had better." Law promptly answered, but he couldn't really get mad, mostly because Eustass was exceptionally skilled with his hands, but also because finally the towel had slipped away, and Law could see that Eustass too was painfully hard.

He felt his heart beat faster at the sight, his eagerness grew stronger and a strange, wonderful sensation exploded in the pit of his stomach. It had been quite a long time since he'd taken another man like that, it wasn't a privilege granted to many, and Eustass was more than he'd ever had.

Law finally decided that he had to satisfy that thirst at all costs and to hell with clever plans. He was aware that maybe he was ruining his only chance to go home just to get screwed, but at least it had to happen to his own terms. He forced Eustass to remove the fingers by which he was pleasuring him and with a sudden movement he overturned the positions so that he was again the one on top. Kid had enjoyed running the game too long already. Eustass didn't seem to mind the sudden change anyway, if Law wanted to delude himself into believing he was in charge Kid would let him. He was still a prisoner and all Eustass cared for right now was that he was about to claim that gorgeous, willing body for himself. Besides, in that position, sitting on him, ready to ride his cock, Trafalgar was truly a vision. The complex design of the tattoos on his amber skin, already glistening with sweat, had an almost hypnotic power, Kid was simply devouring him with his eyes.

His lips parted in a cheeky smile as he squeezed Law by the hips and repeated his first question, since he'd never got an answer "what do you really want, Trafalgar?"

Law tilted his head and returned the smile with the same brazenness, then bent down sinking his fingers in Kid's unruly hair once again just to make a point, he absolutely wasn't developing a fetish, then whispered in his ear, as a matter of fact, "I want to kill you, actually."

Kid scoffed and raised his hips, sliding the tip of his cock between Law's buttocks. That answer had turned him on even more, especially because he knew it was true. Trafalgar hated him, but since he wanted him even more, for Kid it was fine.

Law couldn't help smiling at that and finally decided that he was tired to waste time with stupid games. He reached behind himself grabbing Kid's length, raised his hips and guided it toward his opening, then he finally lowered himself on it, slowly, taking it all inside.

Eustass closed his eyes for a moment and squeezed Trafalgar's thighs painfully without even realizing it, Law left him do it because otherwise he was behaving quite hastily, so much so that he found it surprising. It was very likely that Eustass knew that if he voluntarily hurt him, Law would have castrated him without second thoughts. Anyway, when Kid tilted his head back, completely lost in his own pleasure, an elusive thought crossed Law's mind: it would have been very easy to cut his throat, at that moment, and send him to hell where he belonged, but he immediately discarded the idea. It'd have been a cowardice unworthy of a great pirate like himself, besides at that moment he needed Kid alive.

That was his last coherent thought for a while because Kid's erection was already stretching him impossibly and it was slightly painful. They both stood motionless for a few interminable moments, Kid simply couldn't breath and Law needed to adjust to the considerable girth, which wasn't easy. All Kid had used to prepare him had been spit and fingers and it hadn't been enough, but when Law finally started moving, arousal and pleasure took over both in his body and his mind, chasing away any possible discomfort.

He put both hands on Kid's chest to have more leverage, while Eustass watched him through half-closed lids, rocking his hips slowly. Only when he clearly red the mute permission in Law's eyes did Eustass start to move too. First with small, shallow, almost tentative thrusts, then when he realized that Trafalgar was actually waiting for more, the smug bastard that he was, Kid started to push faster, to go deeper.

Every time he touched the small knot of nerves in Trafalgar's body, the dark haired pirate had to bite his lip to hold back a moan. By now he could no longer deny how much pleasure Kid was giving him. It would have been easier if the experience had turned out to be mediocre, but it was the exact opposite. Eustass knew how to move those hips as if he had a natural talent, and Law hated him even more for that, yet at the same time there was the most irrational part of him that would have liked to stay there forever, on that ship, fully impaled on his enemy's cock, with his black painted nails scratching his legs. Law still thought that Esuatss was a beast, the difference was that now he considered that quality a very good asset.

He pleasured himself shamelessly riding his dick, until Kid couldn't take it any more. Looking at Trafalgar, in fact, turned out to be a mistake. Law was simply mesmerising, with his bottom lip between his teeth, his eyes squeezed shut, his chest rising and falling. He was beautiful, Kid just couldn't find another definition. His movements became uncoordinated while he pounded Law's ass without mercy and instead of asking him to slow down, Trafalgar let out a lewd moan, so evidently enjoying it. Law's pleasure in fact exploded first, after a while of that rough treatment, while he frantically stroked himself. Eustass had even tried to do it for him in a rare moment of generosity, but Trafalgar had stopped him; it was still such an erotic view that Kid hadn't even dared dreaming of it during his lonely nights, so soon after he climaxed as well, still buried deep into Law's tight body. Another luxury that he hadn't expected to be granted, one that made him wish to start it all over again already, even if he felt completely boneless and couldn't move a single muscle any more.

Shortly thereafter, however, that strange, perverse spell ended. The two pirates were still sweaty and out of breath when Trafalgar got up. The look that passed between them remained indecipherable for the both of them. However, Eustass didn't bother to investigate beyond his own sensations, he was satisfied like he'd rarely been, he'd taken for granted that Trafalgar would've been boring in bed, and he'd just been proven blatantly wrong, which for once was a good thing. He'd had what he'd wanted for so long, though, right now he really couldn't bring himself to care about anything else.

As for Trafalgar, his thoughts were a little more complex. Physically speaking, he just couldn't complain, yet when he felt a thin, hot trickle slowly slide down the inside of his thigh, and he really realized what had just happened, what he'd let Eustass do, he felt furious as well, but mostly at himself.

"I need a shower," he said heading for the bathroom, while Eustass lazily got on his feet as well. Kid said nothing, but just before Law put his hand on the door handle he grabbed it in his stead. With one arm around Trafalgar's waist he held the dark haired pirate still, then put the other hand around his neck and gently pushed him to tilt his head back on his shoulder.

"Looks good, you know?" Kid said.

“What?”

"My cum on your legs."

Trafalgar, who was still wondering why he'd let himself being held like that, needed a couple of seconds to process what the other pirate had just said. When he did, it all happened extremely fast. He freed himself, turned around like a snake and struck Eustass on the chin so fast and so hard that the pirate collapsed on the floor, but before landing he hit his head on the edge of the desk and blacked out.

Law was positively fuming, but at least hitting Kid had proven to be almost as satisfying as fucking him; it was also good that he could ascertain that Eustass was still the same disaster of a human being he'd been before. He put the sea stone handcuffs on him, then took his shower quickly, wondering again and again why he'd thought even for a moment that having sex with such an unbearable, arrogant imbecile was a good idea. He'd let himself be carried away by lust, nothing like that had ever happened before.

Anyway Law was still technically a prisoner, he'd to go and go fast. When he came out of the bathroom, since his hoodie was now in shreds, he rummaged in the chaotic dressers until he found something that didn't make him look like a freak show. It was a shirt that was just a little too big, but otherwise it was black, plain, just the kind of garment he was looking for. Once made presentable, Trafalgar lifted Kid's body on his shoulder, he was incredibly heavy, to the point that Law almost gave up on that part of the plan, but eventually he gathered all his strength and went out on deck.

The daylight was blinding after so long in a dim lit cell, and Law had to parry his eyes with one hand but he could still see that there was hardly anyone around. Eventually he spotted Killer talking to another couple of pirates and before anyone noticed him, he yelled "hey you!"

Killer turned around a froze for a fraction of a second, then grabbed his weapons and rushed over to Trafalgar, who apparently had a very naked and very unconscious Eustass Kid over his shoulder. He was too far away, though, while Law was only a couple of steps from the railing. "If you still need him, go and get him," Trafalgar said with an evil smirk, then threw Kid into the water.

Killer cursed audibly but didn't think twice. He gave up attacking Trafalgar to throw himself into the water as well, followed by his two nakama. A few other pirates, who had been lured out by all the hustle and bustle rushed to Law instead, but the dark haired pirate used his power and instead of his opponents, on the ship's deck, a few large wet stones full of green moss, appeared.

Finally satisfied and considerably amused, Law could leave the Victoria Punk once and for all: in one way or another he had accomplished his mission. He only regretted that he couldn't stay and enjoy the show of the Kid's pirates, and the first mate with the captain on his shoulder, trying to climb up their own ship without a ladder.

With his legs still like jelly, conveniently ignoring the soreness and the feeling of still having Eustass inside himself, Trafalgar ventured into the lively village of the harbour. Now the only important thing was to contact his crew.  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi you all, I hope everybody is fine. Thank you so much for reading.  
> Next and last chapter may be a bit late but it'll definitely arrive ^^


	4. Chapter 4

Kid awoke with a start in his bed, confused and plagued by an horrible headache which made even keeping his eyes open a difficult task. Killer rushed next to him, probably asking if he was fine, Kid wasn't sure given how busy he was looking around, trying to understand, to remember. His room looked like a battlefield much more than usual, and among all the junks that covered the floor there was also a black and yellow rag, so the most recent memories came back to him.

There had been an actual battle, there. Short, and surely _different_ , but still a battle. Soon after something even stranger had happened. Even without remembering all the details, however, Eustass immediately realized that if he felt as if a tank had passed over him two or three times, it could only be Trafalgar's fault.

"He fled," he stated without really needing to ask.

The Captain's grim expression dampened the relief that Killer had felt in seeing him awake and relatively healthy, after the dive that had almost cost Eustass his life. The blond sighed, it wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

“He feld,” he confirmed.

“What happened?”

"I was hoping you'd tell me."

"What do you mean?" Kid growled.

Killer recounted briefly what he knew, which was very little since Trafalgar had took him completely by surprise, and in the end Eustass had the decency to stay silent. He'd made a complete ass of himself, and although Killer was his best friend and that would be neither the first nor the last idiocy he had seen his Captain do, Kid didn't want to admit that he'd let slip such an important prisoner just because he'd given into the insane desire of fucking him. In the end he tried to be as evasive as possible, hoping to be able to cover up the most embarrassing details.

While Eustass told his version of the story, how Trafalgar had materialized into his room, how he'd assaulted Kid soon after his shower, which hopefully explained his nakedness, Killer emanated an aura of complete skepticism from under his mask. No one had ever run away from their clutches before, and Kid had an hard time answering the most poking questions. Eventually Killer accepted that he'd never know the whole story and gave up on asking.

He let Kid rest, or better, he let him work off his fury and admit that he had no sensible answers even for himself. However what Killer didn't know, or didn't want to know, was that his Captain's obsession for the dark haired pirate hadn't diminished at all. Kid would have gladly started it all over again, he was honest enough with himself to admit that he'd have liked to spend whole days enjoying Trafalgar's magnificent body even at the cost of having to endure his still despicable personality, which was decidedly less lovable than his ass.

Why the hell had Trafalgar thrown him in the water, for an instance? Couldn't he just have left? Actually, if there was one thing Eustass Kid could identify with, that thing was the desire for revenge; he'd thought, however, that sex would calm down Law considerably, it usually did wonders for people's mood, but the dark haired pirate obviously had to be difficult on every single occasion.

Kid settled on the pillows more comfortably, frowning at the opposite wall. How much did he want to punch Trafalgar in his stupid, smug face! However, in all that mess, it was his own feelings that troubled him the most. Thinking of Trafalgar at Impel Down was now impossible, as was having him close without being able to touch him. It was an impasse if Kid had ever seen one, and also the reason why he couldn't even bring himself to regret too much that Law had fled. At least this had spared him the dilemma of a difficult decision that could have undermined even the esteem of his nakama.

Despite this, the fact still remained that Trafalgar had humiliated him in front of his crew and the more Kid thought about it, the more he felt he could not get over it. He squeezed the sheets nervously, and finally made his decision. He called Killer back just to bark an order "find him!"

This was exactly what the blonde had hoped to hear, Trafalgar had actually risked killing his Captain and his escape had been an affront to the whole crew, so he nodded firmly and immediately went to work. In the end the task proved to be more difficult than expected. By now Trafalgar had more than one day head start, just the time Eustass had spent unconscious, and he could be everywhere.

Killer still did his best. During the day Kid helped him, dreaming of slaughtering Law, by night instead other fantasies came to his mind to keep him awake and more pleasantly busy.

At the end of almost ten days of research, Killer, who was worse than a hungry hound when he needed to be, finally managed to find a really interesting clue.

"Here, read this" he said one evening, entering the Captain's quarters with a few newspaper clippings in his hands, plus a few other printed sheets.

Kid first read the short report about two Marines ships sunk by pirates, several miles away. The printed sheets, instead, were interceptions of certain dispatches that explained many things, including how Trafalgar had ended up on the beach where Killer and Wire had found him. There had been a fairly violent clash between the Heart's Pirates and the Marines, which at the time had ended in a sort of draw. More recently however, Law had apparently taken his revenge.

Kid smiled to himself. "Well, now we know at least which direction to go, correct the route."

"Did you notice that he sank two ships?"

Eustass shrugged. He had noticed and he couldn't really disapprove, Marine ships on the ocean floor were never bad news. "Trafalgar is a pirate, that's what we do."

"Yeah, and it looks like the guy is out for blood."

Eustass gave his first mate a foul look. "Are you telling me I should be afraid of him?"

“I'm saying you don't have to throw yourself into this shit headlong as you always do. You held him prisoner for weeks and apparently forgiveness is not his nature."

Kid smirked, "neither it's mine."

Theoretically, many other things were not supposed to be Law's nature, yet Trafalgar had managed to surprise Eustass more than once already. However, Killer was not wrong at all, as usual. Law had enacted a particularly heinous revenge against those who had put him in that situation in the first place. There was no way of knowing what his next move would be. Would he leave it alone and go back on doing whatever crazy doctors did in their free time, or was he plotting something else against Eustass as well?

Kid almost hoped for the second option. He found it oddly amusing but he was careful not to tell it out loud in front of his spoilsport friend, who wasn't likely to take it well. Anyway even Eustass had to admit that with a pirate like Trafalgar one had to stay alert, especially if said pirate was still angry. That didn't mean that Kid wasn't dying to meet Law again, and it was something he couldn't even try to hide since Killer knew him too well.

Given how his first mate still didn't look convinced Kid eventually added, "don't be such a mother hen, Killer. Whatever Trafalgar tries, I assure you, it'll be worse for him."

"Hm …" Under his mask, Killer was still sort of baffled. None of the Kid's pirates would have fled before an enemy, the Captain least of all, so the red-head's answer had not been surprising at all, yet Eustass looked shadier than usual. There was something he wasn't saying, and Killer didn't like it but his Captain now seemed determined to ignore any further protest or question.

The blond declared defeat, then. He limited himself to the obvious, usual and useless warning before going to bed, "be careful, Captain."

Eustass didn't even hear him, full of hopes as he was. A vindictive and angry Trafalgar Law was just what he needed.

  
  


Once it had become clear in which waters his colleague had recently shown up, Kid's ship was able to reach the submarine pretty easily. It was docked at a large summer island and for some reason nobody seemed to react in any way to the presence of the Victoria Punk, so Kid could savour the satisfaction of personally launching the first attack.

Sitting in his favourite place in the wheelhouse, he chose the most appropriate weapon with the meticulousness of a child in front of a showcase of sweets, then aimed, fired and deliberately hit the Polar Tang only slightly. He didn't intend to sink it so soon but the gauntlet had now been launched.

At the peak of his exaltation Kid also contacted the submarine personally, but on the other side answered a voice he didn't recognize. “Tell the asshole to meet me in town. Unless he's coward."

That said, Kid got up and turned to his first mate without waiting for an answer. He was sure the message was clear enough even if he hadn't specified which asshole he was referring to.

"Killer, I leave everything in your hands."

“What? Where the hell are you going?" Killer asked uselessly.

Kid was already at the door, his only answer was a smile that promised trouble and the moment he went away, the Polar Tang was already preparing the counterattack so Killer couldn't run after him.

Eustass got off before the two crews began to get serious, he was sure that his men would have fun waging war with Trafalgar's ones anyway, so he walked towards the inner part of the island without a care in the world. It was quite a large island and Kid, even without causing real trouble, tried to leave a clear trace of its passage, in the hope of luring Law out.

After travelling the island far and wide for a long while, Eustass first concluded that since none of his men had come to look for him their ship was safe, just as expected. Secondly, he was tired, hot and frustrated at having spent the whole day without running into Trafalgar. That place bored him now, so he took a secondary route to an old abandoned factory on top of a hill, armed only with a bottle of rum. It wasn't long before sunset, which meant that Trafalgar had had plenty of time already to keep track of his movements and was wasting Kid's time on purpose. In any case, had Trafalgar not shown up before sunset, Eustass would have declared him a coward, and would have also been quite disappointed.

To be as visible as possible he sat on a pile of bricks in the middle of a large, square and dusty courtyard surrounded on three sides by the ruins of the factory, and on the fourth overlooked the woods and the path leading up there. The air was so firm it seemed stagnant, all around only the chirping of some cicada, not yet tired of singing, could be heard. By now Kid was bored to death; as it turned out his only company was a large grey cat who was staring at him from the top of a pile of debris, bored and sleepy as well. The pirate opened the bottle and threw the cork in his direction, hitting him full.

"Stop staring at me and leave, you useless fleabag!"

The cat emitted a disturbing wail, halfway between a child's cry and a witch's scream, but he moved only slightly, then sat down again and went back to stare at Kid with his large, impenetrable yellow eyes.

“Tch. If you get hurt don't say I didn't warn you” concluded the pirate, bringing the bottle to his lips.

He didn't have time to drink anyway. The sound of footsteps marked on the pavement of the courtyard caught his attention. Even if he had is back to the trail Eustass didn't need to turn around to find out who was coming. He felt something in the air, like a shiver of excitement running down his spine that warned him that the time had finally come.

"About fucking time. I thought I'd get old on these bricks," he said grinning to himself.

"Instead you'll die young, happy?" It was Trafalgar's unmistakable voice, and it sounded like a cold caress between Kid's shoulder blades.

Eustass got up and turned around slowly, Law had taken his sweet time but he was finally there, right in front of him. The red-head clenched his fists, although he generally had conflicting feelings towards Law, he was now leaning much more towards punching his face, the other in fact was looking at him with his usual haughty and indecipherable expression, behind which he unsuccessfully hid a mocking smile. Kid understood its meaning pretty easily: Law had not only made him wait a full day, deliberately of course, but he'd also had the audacity to wear the black shirt he'd stolen from Kid's closet. Actually, until then Eustass hadn't really noticed it was missing, but he recognized it immediately. Trafalgar was insulting him openly in every way and he also had the nerve to look like he was doing Kid a favour just being there. It was almost as if he were the injured party, throughout the story. Eustass found such an audacity hard to believe, but not necessarily in a bad way.

"Why are you here?" Trafalgar asked before Kid could speak.

"I was waiting for you” Eustass answered promptly. Then added, as he was speaking to a dumb child, “obviously."

"Really? And to what do I owe such an honour?"

"I think you already know.”

“Please, be more specific”

Eustass crossed his arms with an evil glint in his eyes. He was tired of useless chat already “you're not so smart, after all, if you don't understand that we've got a score to settle."

Law was actually eager to start as well. He'd gladly showed the Marines what happened to whom bothered the Heart Pirates, but since he'd already had his rightful vengeance and he knew that his friends and submarine were all safe and sound, he could finally relax and have some fun. Who was he to say no if Eustass Kid was so impatient to be defeated once more? After all, he hadn't really forgiven the red-head for making him feel so good that day on his ship.

"Looks like we're settling the score very far from the water, this time. Is it just by coincidence?" Trafalgar managed to keep a straight face, but he couldn't hide the mirth from his voice. He remembered very well the moment when he'd thrown the other pirate overboard, naked as his unfortunate mother had made him, and the liquid splash that Kid had produced hitting the water. That was still one hell of an happy memory for him. For Eustass, instead, the thought was considerably less pleasant and it showed all over his face, which did nothing but brighten Law's mood even more.

Finally Kid took a sip of liquor, never taking his eyes off the other pirate, then offered him the bottle with a nod of his head.

Trafalgar accepted it, but he knew that the time for pleasantries was almost over, which, by the way, wasn't a bad thing at all.

Kid, who was less prone to meditations and speculations, and definitely done with waiting, simply picked up a brick and threw it at his opponent.

Trafalgar was very fast, he threw the bottle to the ground, breaking it to thousand pieces, drew his sword and cut the flying brick in two. Finally the battle had begun.

Eustass wasn't caught by surprise, he attracted every metal object available and used them to form a cage around Trafalgar, the dark haired pirate, however, easily freed himself with two slits of his nodachi. Kid didn't have time to avoid the counterattack, then. Law cut his leg with his sharp blade and immediately afterwards wounded his arm as well. The cuts were intentionally shallow, though, Law didn't want the fun to end so early.

Albeit Kid realized that he had actually gone away with just superficial wounds, the sight of his own blood and the pain turned him into a feral beast. He wanted to return the blows immediately, but his injured leg gave way and he found himself kneeling on the ground, with the cold blade of Law's sword on the jugular.

Trafalgar didn't press it, instead he grabbed a fistful of Kid's hair and forced him to bend his head backwards, then leaned over him, too close, and hissed "that was warm-up, now it's time to get serious."

Eustass couldn't have asked for more, he was quivering with anger because Law already had the upper hand and that was not how it should have gone, especially since being so close to him again was like falling back into an old obsession that had never truly healed. It was horrible, but also absolutely intoxicating, besides he couldn't really foresee the outcome of that battle and that made it so much more fun. Nothing bored Kid more than fighting when he already knew he was going to win.

This could never happen with Law, not that Eustass would ever admit it out loud, but they were equals, and since risk was always the best part, he decided that a risky move would just be what he needed to make his day a bit more spicy.

Law was fast as a snake and a simple slide of his wrist was all he really needed to cut Kid's throat, despite this Eustass grabbed Trafalgar's sword, pushed it away and punched him at the same time, before the other pirate realized what was going on. It went well, this time Kid managed to get up even though he had to put his weight on his injured leg, and with a snarl he was on the other pirate in a second.

Trafalgar almost lost his balance, taken aback by that sudden move, and was forced to back off until he hit the wall of a battered building, but by that point Kid had already changed his strategy, and had captured Law's mouth in a bruising kiss.

Trafalgar couldn't fend off that sweet assault so he moaned, shamelessly, while Kid quenched his thirst, yet he suddenly realized he simply couldn't let the red-head use him like that (not that it felt bad), so he pushed him away forcefully, but not soon enough.

Eustass, in fact, laughed triumphantly, "I knew it!”

"What?" Trafalgar growled, quite flustered and also crossed at his own lack of eloquence. On Kid's ship everything had been different, there had been a plan, a script to follow. Now he was free, he didn't need to let himself be kissed like that. At least not so soon. And sure as hell he didn't need to moan like that. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, knowing far to well that it was a little redundant at that point.

"What you really like," Eustass answered then, positively eye fucking the other man. Fighting Law was fun, but prodding him, once he had found his weak spot, was just something else. Especially since he knew by now that he, Eustass Kid himself, was Trafalgar's weak spot.

"You're just delusional" Law scoffed. Unfortunately the other pirate wasn't entirely wrong, he was as obnoxious as he was attractive and Law had known since before, after all, what was the point of that meeting. Actually, he'd had his own fun keeping Eustass waiting all the day just because he knew what the red-head really was after.

Whatever lie the two pirates had told themselves, the desire was clear in their eyes. Law was just difficult by nature, but he wanted Kid and he wanted him strongly enough to not even really try to kill him. In any case, whatever was going to happen between them that night, at least Eustass had to earn it.

Kid wasn't looking for shortcuts anyway. He had gone up there to fight, before anything else, and in fact he attacked again because the desire to touch the other pirate, in any possible way, had already become too strong to be ignored. Trafalgar managed to keep up with him but Eustass was undoubtedly very strong and without even knowing how, Law found himself thrown against a heap of debris that was extremely dusty, but at least not as hard as the wall. He had to wait a few moments both to take in the blow and for the dust to thin out enough to allow him to see a grey fur ball practically flying over his head, land gracefully enough, and finally run and hide under a canopy.

Law hadn't noticed the cat until then, but now he realized that he had a truly golden opportunity to have fun at Kid's expense.

He exchanged the soul of the other pirate with that of the cat and the poor little body, now inhabited by the spirit, and above all the temper, of Eustass Kid, made a spectacular leap and emitted a bizarre war cry. A less clever pirate than Trafalgar would have found himself with the cat's tiny claws planted in his face, Law instead let go of his sword to grab the little beast before he could rip his eyes out.

The cat inside Kid's body, meanwhile, was looking around completely disoriented, still somehow managing to maintain the icy aloofness of his feline spirit.

Trafalgar felt even more triumphant than when he'd sank the Marine ships. When the cat uttered a chilling cry that was meant to be a meow, with the voice of Eustass Kid's human body, Law prayed that he'd also start to lick his paw, or rather his leg, even though in that case he'd have forfeited his whole pirate career to die with laughter right there, in that abandoned, dusty courtyard. And why didn't he have a camera when he needed one?

Sadly he couldn't find out how the cat would have behaved in Kid's body because the angry fur ball he was still holding with little gentleness, and who was trying to free himself with all his limited strength, was still a pirate endowed with a huge power and a dangerous ability.

Law blocked the cat's four legs because his tiny claws hurt quite a lot, then raised him so that they could speak face to face, and finally with a triumphant grin he said, "I think I'll ask Shachi to cook you, he truly masters the art of baked potatoes with rosemary, by the way. You'll make a decent meal after all."

The cat, all matted hair and angry hisses, provoked Trafalgar's hilarity even more. “You know what? A good vintage red wine would be perfect too, let's go and find it,” he concluded, then picked up the sword with the intention to head toward the trail leading back to the city.

Whether he did it consciously or in a panic at the idea of being separated from his human body, before ending up in the oven surrounded by potatoes, even in his new guise Kid managed to emit a very powerful electromagnetic field. Realizing the danger at the very last moment, Trafalgar fought the attack with an equally powerful electric charge, but something went wrong and everything erupted into chaos. *

Immediately the air saturated with static energy and it was like being in the middle of a lightning storm. Trafalgar knew that staying there was no longer safe and moved himself, the cat and Eustass just before a thunderous explosion set almost the entire factory on fire.

Once they were all far enough not to suffer physical damage from the heat given off by the fire, Law reluctantly had to conclude that that kind of accident was ideal to attract unwanted attention. Soon a lot of people would come running up the hill to put out the fire, the game was over, which was a pity because it had actually been fun. He returned Eustass and the cat their respective bodies but since the poor animal seemed lifeless, and Trafalgar had no use for him any more, he placed him on the grass, not too unkindly.

He'd to struggle to stand up again, the combined effects of the extremely powerful energy fields had truly taken its toll, the explosion hadn't helped either.

"Look what you've done!" he said, forced to lean against a tree so as not to fall to his knees.

Kid would have gladly sold his soul to punch Trafalgar for that stupid trick, but he could only lie on the grass with his arms open, panting. At least he could still talk. “It was all your fault, you moron.”

“You overreacted as usual. What was a magnetic field of that magnitude for?"

"To kill you, you imbecile! Besides it was your electric charge that made a mess."

Trafalgar had to admit that Kid, oddly enough, might have been right at least in part but wasn't willing to tell him, so he sidetracked the subject. "It will be quite crowded here, I'm leaving."

"You're not going anywhere..." the red-head said, now propped up on his elbows.

Law, who still didn't like to get ordered around, was about to become hostile again, but Eustass ignored his silent threat and went on “...if you don't give my shirt back first."

Trafalgar relaxed and barely held back a smile. So Eustass still wanted to play? He was such a child, but Law could be stubborn too. "It's mine, now. I regularly stole it."

The other pirate managed to get to his feet with little grace and deliberately invaded Law's personal space. Trafalgar glared warningly at him but otherwise remained silent and perfectly still.

Eustass had spent what little energy he'd left just to stand up and surely didn't have the strength for another attack, so he moved on to the second reason why he was on that island. Slowly, so as not to provoke another violent reaction from the other pirate, he brushed Law's neck with the tips of his fingers. The black shirt, with the first buttons left open, enhanced the colour of the other pirate's skin making it even more irresistible. Trafalgar didn't shy away from the touch, rather he narrowed his eyes so that now he was the one who looked like a cat.

"I'll take it later." Kid said quite satisfied.

Law felt oddly warmer inside, and it wasn't because of the fire. _Later_. That same night. Interesting.

Sirens wailed in the distance, though. Somebody was already coming to put out the fire that still raged behind the two pirates. It was almost dark by now, the blaze was to be seen from all over the island, they had to leave quickly.

"If you say so" Law shrugged, doing his best to try and hide his interest, then moved away from Eustass with more reluctance than he'd have expected. The red-head let him go but stood watching him for a few seconds as he walked away.

Before leaving as well Eustass glanced at the unconscious cat, then sighed and picked him up.

"Vintage red wine, huh?" He said even though he knew the cat wouldn't have been able to understand him even if he had been awake. “Typical of fancy little pricks like him. A beer is what we need here, I'm telling you,” he said, and headed toward the woods determined to return to the city through the most desolate paths he could find.

  
  


  
  


Half an hour later Trafalgar too had managed to reach the harbour with the least possible human interaction. When he arrived he first contacted Bepo for a quick update. The news was reassuring, the battle between the two crews had been just a skirmish, but it had started to attract too much attention and since nobody could leave without their captain, in the end they had all decided to stop and move ship and submarine to the opposite sides of the bay.

Since the island seemed quite pirate friendly, Law gave orders to wait for him until dawn. Bepo didn't insist on leaving sooner because he knew there was something going on and he knew better than to intrude, so Trafalgar found himself a quiet place to eat something. He was more exhausted then before, the damned magnetic fields of the damned Eustass Kid were no small matter and he made the mental note to better investigate the interaction with his own electric fields.

After eating he felt slightly better and went in search of Eustass. He didn't want to leave him the element of surprise, even if he wasn't sure what Kid could ever be up to if he was even half worn-out.

Once he found the worst tavern in the city, which served the best alcohol, predictably Trafalgar found Eustass as well. He'd taken for granted that Kid would have been alone, instead he had company, although of an unusual kind.

Kid was half sprawled on a bench with his back against the wall and on the table, next to an almost empty mug of beer, was the cat who had apparently recovered. Law came over and sat down without waiting for an invitation. Lying on his side, the cat lazily moved his tail, looked at the newcomer seriously but didn't run. He was brave, a quality that Trafalgar could appreciate.

"I can see you two are quite happy together, if you want I can swap..."

"Don't finish that sentence, if you want to live," said the red-head, then signalled the waitress for another beer.

Trafalgar didn't actually finish the sentence but grinned mischievously, then rested his elbow on the table and his head on the palm of his hand. He couldn't even sit straight, but it consoled him to see that Kid wasn't doing much better. It looked like the fittest one was indeed the cat.

When the waitress came back she served Kid the beer, but the pirate moved the mug in front of his guest.

“Drink” he simply said.

Trafalgar raised an eyebrow. It was the worst invitation to drink with someone he had ever received. His first instinct was to spill the beer on Kid's head to teach him some manners, but eventually he decided against it, he was thirsty and Eustass was already far beyond redemption anyway.

"Thanks," he said, clearly sarcastic.

For a while the two drank in a silence that was actually quite companionable, all things considered; there was no tension, no awkwardness so after a few minutes Law, who was really curious, said "I didn't think you liked animals."

The red-head shrugged "not to the point to bake them with potatoes."

Trafalgar had the audacity to laugh, "don't tell me I freaked you out."

"Tsk, don't flatter youself."

After that, silence fell again, they couldn't even fight with words. Trafalgar used that time for a small recap. The way things were, the night was unlikely to end how he'd suspected and even hoped for. If they ever reached a bed they'd just use it to collapse on it. At least Kid wouldn't have neither any satisfaction, nor the shirt, it was still something. What puzzled Law the most, however, was that after all it wasn't that bad to just stay with Eustass like that, doing nothing together, even having an almost normal conversation.

Absentmindedly he reached out and stroked the cat who started to purr loudly. His fur was soft, it was a relaxing feeling and Law, lost in his own thoughts, didn't notice that Eustass had started to do the same, equally idly, so when their fingers touched it was unexpected, but also not unpleasant and he didn't withdraw his hand. Slowly, Trafalgar raised a suspicious look into Kid's eyes. He found the other pirate different than usual, less belligerent, less confrontational, still Law couldn't really decipher what he saw in his ruby eyes.

Since Eustass didn't remove his hand either, slowly their fingers ended up interlocked. The two stared at each other for a long time, as if immobilized by an invisible force, without speaking. Only their fingers moved, almost imperceptibly, to give each other the tiniest strokes.

After a while Eustass sighed, "now what?"

Law had already reached the conclusion that it was time to make a decision, one way or another. They could keep on fighting, and they would, just maybe not every single time they met. It was too much fun and for two men like them, even necessary. That didn't mean there couldn't be anything else, though. He got up, walked around the table and sat next to Kid, very close. Eustass, who had followed Law's movements with his eyes, looked at him tentatively for a moment, then made his mind as well, cupped Trafalgar's face in an oddly gentle gesture and kissed him. It was the first time he did it without haste, without being aggressive, almost kindly, and Law liked the change. He gladly kissed Eustass back and moved a little closer until he found himself stroking Kid's chest with the same languid slowness.

When the kiss ended Law remained exactly where he was, almost on Kid's lap. He unconsciously licked his lower lip as if he wanted to taste the kiss a little better, then leaned his head to the wall and looked up to the ceiling.

"After all, you're not that bad, at least not all the time" he said.

Kid eyerolled, but he'd loved every second of that kiss and he quite liked that more docile version of Law as well, so he choose to not ruin that moment. "You're not too bad either when you're not a complete asshole."

"You kidnapped me and I'd be the asshole?"

"Yes, and you're also the worst prisoner ever."

Trafalgar sneered at that, pestering Kid had been an achievement he was proud of. Soon after he turned serious again and remained silent, lost in his own thoughts for a few long moments, while the red-head moved his arm on the back of the bench ending up as a pillow for Law's head. Forgiveness really wasn't in Trafalgar's nature and that misadventure on Kid's ship hadn't been fun, but it was in the past, and perhaps it was the beer, or the fact that he had already took his revenge, or even the suffused atmosphere of that filthy tavern that somehow instilled calm, anyway in the end Law found himself making a proposal that until a few hours before would have seemed highly unlikely.

"Truce?" He said, because peace was a little too much.

Kid looked at him searchingly and Law let him take his time. Eustass wasn't sure he could trust the other pirate, even if he seemed sincere enough. Trafalgar was more relaxed than he'd ever seen him, though, he looked almost content with his head resting on Kid's arm, besides he was really sexy beyond limits in his stolen black shirt. Kid decided that he'd let him keep it, after all.

"Truce" he finally agreed. He never backed out of a challenge anyway, and as every good pirate he knew a treasure when he saw one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Science corner ^^  
> Just a quick note to clarify that the battle between Kid and Law is based on the fact that considered the nature of Kid's devil fruit, my guess is that he's perfectly capable of creating a magnetic field. Law for his part can handle electric charges, and this is canon. The interaction between electricity and magnetism has been known for a couple of centuries but I have used it here in an obviously totally un-scientific way, because if I knew so much about physics I'd probably write essays instead of gay porn XD
> 
> That said thank you so much for reading! Writing (or translating, as in this case) is a huge help for me in these difficult times and I hope that silly little stories like this one may help you a little as well :) 
> 
> Stay safe and take care!

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say, I've been planning on translating a few of my fics for years. Now "thanx" to forced social isolation I've got plenty of free time.
> 
> Despite the way it starts this story will not be too serious or dramatic, I hope you'll like it :)


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